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*** March Challenge - Mapping in Black and White ***

This month the challenge is clear, some might even say it's black and white.

In many older maps there was only one tone allowed - giving the wealth of texture and hatching we see in woodcut images. In today's press ebooks offer the self same limitations. Kindle books have a very limited range of greys and usually perform best when the image is in black and white.

This month the subject matter is unconstrained but you must create a map using only black and white - no colour, and shades of grey are only allowed through anti-aliasing for black lines.

The challenge will close on the 28th of March, with 3 days of voting before the end of the month.

So, I'm thinking I need to make a Japanese town map for an upcoming product, (Way of the Samurai - for Kaidan) and of course all my maps for Kaidan are hand-drawn based maps. While the final published map will be in full color, I may do all the preliminary work as B/W lineart only, enough to satsify the theme of this challenge, post it here - then finish it for my actual needs.

I've been hoping that this would be this month's challenge, so I could participate again - the previous two challenges didn't interest me much.

Is it possible to submit one map to both the normal Mapping Challenge and the Lite Mapping Challenge at the same time?

If you haven't won a full Map Challenge, then it is possible to enter both, however, once you win a full Map Challenge, you cannot enter a Lite Challenge, as you are now 'over qualified' for the opportunity. Winners of Golden Compasses cannot enter a Lite Challenge (you just won last month's Challenge, right?)

As I normally do only tactical maps, I'm trying to think of what to do here that would make the map special. Making an "old school" dungeon map in the traditional black/white style just doesn't feel like enough. Need to give it more thought.

I said, my plan is to create an overhead view of a town map. So that's one option. You could also create a regional/world map, a cavern map, or any kind of map, including an old school dungeon map. The point is open your mind a bit, escape the obvious. So if making a dungeon map seems too obvious for your perfect B/W challenge map, then break your idea mold and attempt something outside that mind set. Think of a map that you'd normally do in full color that is not a dungeon map, then do it in B/W only to comply to the challenge requirements.

I personally don't care for old school dungeon maps - so that wasn't the obvious B/W project in my eyes.

------Assuming I stick with fantasy cartography, I'd like to become a World Builder, laying out not only a realistic topography, but also the geopolitical boundaries and at least rough descriptions of the countries and societies.

------Assuming I stick with fantasy cartography, I'd like to become a World Builder, laying out not only a realistic topography, but also the geopolitical boundaries and at least rough descriptions of the countries and societies.

Attachment 43062Question ? I was just "Playing " with a half tone tutorial. Would that be Legit for this challenge. Although it looks like Greys when zoomed in it is only black and white. The greys are illusionary ! See attachment. Need ruling before I even start.

Last edited by lostatsea; 03-14-2012 at 10:49 PM.

"Aye The skies be clear , the seas be calm and the winds be with us .....